Chapter Three
The sun was slipping through the curtains when Sakura awoke. The heat felt good against the exposed skin of her stomach and she rolled over to peak a glance through the drapes at the bright sky. By the height of the sun, it was already late morning, which meant that she was very close to being late to meeting her teammates. However, she couldn't quite bring herself to rush out the door.
It was the first morning since she could remember that she had woken relaxed and rested, and she didn't want to ruin the moment by springing out of bed and scrambling to throw on her sparring gear to meet two people who would most likely delay their friendly sparring match by arguing anyway. Instead, she took her time to stretch and fully rouse herself before she finally pushed her sheets away and stood.
With the thought of a much needed fight on her mind, she didn't bother to shower before she pulled her red tunic vest on and clipped her medical skirt over her black spandex. Once she was sure she had all her weapons and gear, she left her bedroom and made her way downstairs to the kitchen as she gathered her pale pink locks away from her neck and face, and into a secure ponytail. She swiped a protein bar from the cabinet and a water bottle from the fridge before she stowed the latter in her bag and made for the door.
Heat clung to her skin the moment Sakura stepped through the threshold and she briefly wondered how long their sparring match could possibly last in the given temperature. However, that thought quickly passed as she looked at the time again and realized just how late she already was. Hurriedly she locked the door behind her and took off in the direction of the training grounds her team had become accustomed to using.
Around her, the village was alive with civilians and shinobi alike doing their pre-afternoon rounds. Children were running through the streets and ducking behind stores as they played while a handful of shoppers peered at window displays. Sakura herself would have liked to stop inside a ninja gear store – her gloves were beginning to wear a bit thin – but she knew she didn't have time and besides, it was then that she realized someone had fallen into step beside her.
With a smile playing on her lips, she rolled her head to the side as she eyed her sudden companion. "Kakashi-sensei."
"I haven't been your sensei in quite some time, Sakura," Kakashi said into his book.
Her smile widened as the pair continued further into the heart of the village. Kakashi was fourteen years her senior, but one wouldn't know it at first glance, even given his shock of silver hair that still seemed to defy gravity even against the summer heat. His ever-present orange, Icha Icha book was in his glove-clad hand and she eyed his Jounin jacket and rolled up, long-sleeved shirt as he paced next to her. How he could wear his vest and mask in this temperature she didn't know, but granted, there were a lot of things she didn't understand about her old teacher, even after all these years.
"Old habits die hard," she returned.
He finally dropped his gaze from his book to side-glance at her. "I'm not that old and I certainly hope I don't die hard."
She grinned at him before she turned her attention down the road. "Is there a reason you came to see me?"
"Does a sensei need a reason to see his favorite student?"
"Coming from you, yes. And I'm not your favorite."
His gaze didn't drop from his book. "Of course you're my favorite-."
"Kakashi, the point?" she interrupted. They were almost at the training grounds and as much as she loved her ex-sensei, she knew he could drag on a conversation when he wanted to and she was already late enough.
"Ahh yes, now I remember. I was curious if the rumor was true that you encouraged Yamanaka Ino to get into bed with me," he said casually.
His nonchalant tone briefly passed over her, but she stopped and turned to him abruptly as his words finally registered. "Excuse me?"
Kakashi too slowed to a stop and turned around to face her, his expression cool and aloof as always, but she knew his implied question was serious. At first, she drew a blank as to what he was even referring to, but after a few moments of pondering where this rumor had come from she realized she had in fact started it. It felt like it had been so long ago since she had spoken to Ino about her love life that Sakura had forgotten that she had essentially offered her old teacher up as her best friend's newest target. However, how Kakashi had come to learn of it she had no idea. If Ino had made a move and been rejected, Sakura was certain her best friend would have told her about it by now.
Rapid realization flooded her system like a shock of ice water as it suddenly dawned on her that while she had been having a most private conversation with her best friend in her kitchen, Uchiha Itachi had been just one floor above them in her bedroom waiting for her. It was fortunate her skin was already overheated from the sun for she quickly flushed in embarrassment as she instantly become aware of just how much he had heard.
"Oh no," she muttered to herself.
Her heart raced in her chest and she unconsciously ran a hand across the back of her neck in an attempt to cool her suddenly warm body. Thankfully Kakashi continued to act unaware to her discomfort as he flipped a page in his book and continued to wait patiently.
"I may have suggested that you might be available," she began slowly. His single eye peered at her over the top of his book and immediately she held up her hands defensively. "I didn't mean to! She was desperate and lonely and the topic of you just happened to come up…"
The older male continued to just stare at her blankly before he sighed softly. "Sakura, please do not whore me out to your friends."
"I didn't whore you out," she defended. "I merely suggested that you might have fewer reserves…" When his expression remained the same, she sighed loudly. "Okay, maybe I did whore you out, but you are a little whore-ish."
"I take offence to that."
She shot him a flat look. "You read porn in public."
Kakashi glanced at the book in his hand before shrugging indifferently. "I like to think of it as expanding my imagination."
"Well, whatever you call it. I didn't think she'd seriously try anything anyway." She raised her brow curiously. "Did she make a move?"
"Fortunately for you, no," he said, returning his gaze to his book as he turned away ready to depart. "However, I request that the next time you offer me as someone's bed warmer, please do it with someone a little older. I don't need to be accused of cradle robbing."
"She's twenty-two."
Kakashi's brow arched as he inclined his head in her direction. "In that case, never mind."
"Kakashi!"
However, he was already walking away, his attention once more focused on his book as he raised a hand in farewell. She watched him disappear into the crowd with a small sigh before she turned around and continued her trek to the training grounds.
As expected, both Naruto and Sasuke were already there waiting for her upon her arrival. She found her teammates taking shelter from the already scalding sun under a tree as Sasuke sharpened his katana and Naruto stood over him giving him loud and unnecessary pointers. However, his attention shifted to her as she entered the clearing: "Sakura-chan! We were beginning to wonder if you had forgotten us."
"Forget you? Never. Oversleep? Possibly," she grinned.
Sasuke didn't turn his gaze away from his blade. "You're becoming as bad as Kakashi-sensei."
She smirked as she dropped her bag onto the grassy floor next to him. "Just be glad I showed up to kick your ass, Sasuke."
He slid her an unimpressed look, but her attention was redirected as Naruto hooked an arm around her shoulders and pulled her flush against him. "You're not too tired to spar, are you?"
Immediately she pushed him away. "Get off me! You're already sweaty. And no, so don't tell me you're scared after you've been begging me for the past week to come out."
Naruto flashed her a cheeky grin as he crossed his arms. The action caused his black undershirt to tighten across his broad chest and she eyed him briefly as she wondered what had become of his favorite neon jacket. She could only assume the heat had forced him out of it. "Scared of you, Sakura-chan? You're a medic. How scary can you be?"
She heard the teasing tone in his voice, but it didn't stop her from flashing him a smile that promised he would eat his words very soon. Sasuke just sighed again before he pushed himself to his feet. "Can we cut the bad mouthing and get on with it?"
She and Naruto shared a look. "Apparently someone is in a hurry for an ass-kicking today," the blond muttered.
Sakura snickered as Sasuke slowly rounded to face them. There was a challenging light in his dark eyes as a smirk curled the corner of his mouth upwards. "It won't be me that'll be getting the ass-kicking, dobe."
"As if you could lay a finger on me."
"I'll lay more than a finger on you and you better not go crying to Sakura when I make you regret those words."
"It won't be me that'll be regretting my words."
Sakura crossed her arms as she listened to her teammate bicker back and forth. Leave it to her two idiots to take it too far. "Are you two done flirting or should I come back later?"
"We're not flirting!" they said simultaneously as they rounded on her.
She held up her hands. "Whatever."
Turning away from them, Sakura left the cover of the canopy trees to make her way towards the center of the clearing. The temperature rose as she ventured out of the tree line and into the worn area, and she focused on fastening her gloves as her two teammates positioned themselves to complete their triangle.
"I just ask that you two try not to beat the living hell out of each other," Sakura drawled as she raised her arms over her head for a quick stretch. "I have to work later."
Sasuke just smirked as Naruto shot a glance his way. "No promises."
Just as predicted, Naruto lunged at Sasuke first. He was but a blond streak as he zipped towards the older male, using his speed in an attempt to land the first hit. However, Sasuke's Sharingan was faster and he blocked his swing with ease before he countered with a knee to his flank that Naruto dodged. Sakura used their easy distraction to her advantage and slipped in almost unnoticed as she aimed a kunai in Naruto's blind spot, but he ducked her attack and rounded on her, forcing her into the defensive as he redirected towards her, his own kunai glinting in the mid-morning sun.
Sakura easily darted under his swipes and strikes having had defensive tactics drilled into her by Lady Tsunade herself, and she danced around his attacks until she could find an opening; but before she could land her blow, a shadow flickered in her peripheral and she sprung away just as Sasuke launched a small wave of shuriken at the pair. Naruto recovered just in time to block the downward arch of Sasuke's katana and they clashed metal against metal, sending sparks into the air. Not one to just sit back, Sakura quickly readjusted her hold and threw her kunai with deadly precision at the side of Sasuke's head, causing him to stop short of another parry with Naruto. His red gaze narrowed at her but she only smirked before she rejoined the fight.
The sun continued to rise, stifling the air and searing the ground, as the trio skirted and slipped around each other, aiming fists, kicks and weapons while avoiding as many blows as possible. Their spar was exhausting but well balanced, all having been teammates long enough to know the others' strengths and weaknesses, and as always, they used that information to their advantage. Naruto was fast and strong, but didn't always think his attacks through and though Sasuke could see the attacks coming with his sharp eyes, he couldn't always react fast enough to prevent himself from injury. Sakura herself was a smart fighter, but her willingness to shift to defense rather than offense often made her drag out her fights, leaving her tired and weary.
They kicked up dust as the moved, causing the back of Sakura's throat to grow dry and gritty, but she didn't let the hindrance slow her down as she blocked Naruto's weapon and kicked out at Sasuke. With the lack of chakra, her dark-haired teammate stumbled but it was enough time for Sakura to round on him with a well-aimed punch. Her fist connected with his jaw, but she was unable to enjoy her small victory as Naruto used the opportunity to launch a kunai at the center of her back.
She rolled out of the way and had to spring back again as the blond landed where she had been only moments before. Sasuke used their personal spar to slip under Naruto's guard and he landed a well-placed kick to his ribs, sending him flying back into the nearest tree. He attempted the same trick to Sakura, forcing her to quickly flip away, but he followed her, not giving her the distance she had been hoping for and she raised her fists readily as she met his gaze.
That's when Sakura froze.
Her world tunneled until all her awareness focused upon a pair of narrowed, blood red eyes. The tomes of Sasuke's Sharingan spun slowly, and sudden, consuming fear turned her blood to ice. She tried to move but found her body unwilling to comply with her demands as memories of blood and gore and utter panic crept into her mind, rooting her very soul in place.
She began to shake and defensively she snapped her eyes shut as she gathered as much chakra as she could muster. "No!"
Without warning, Sakura slammed her heel into the solid earth below her. A loud rumble sounded deep beneath her feet before the clearing split into wide, spider web cracks that caused the rocks and old trees groan. The world around them shook as if an earthquake had released below Konoha's very center and Sakura's gaze shot downwards as the ground beneath her feet shifted and became unsteady. She forced chakra into her legs before she jumped up and away from the epicenter of the destruction, landing near the edge of the clearing. In the distance, she heard a handful of oaks lose the support of their old roots and they toppled over with a mighty crash as a domino effect rippled out from their clearing. She waited with wide eyes for the worst of the devastation to settle.
A few, long minutes passed before the ground stopped rumbling and became still once more. Dust drifted through the damaged forest as it fell back to its resting place; the once peaceful woods still of wind and animal life as thick silence cast over the clearing as if the world itself was in muted awe of the devastation it had just witnessed.
"Sakura!" She turned as Sasuke dropped to the ground from a tree where he had taken cover. Naruto appeared a moment later a few yards from him, his bright blue eyes wide. "What the hell?"
She stood speechless, unable to even begin to explain herself and unsure how to respond to her teammate's demand. Sasuke never cursed at her. "I…it was..."
She didn't finish as the leaves rustled a moment before Kakashi dropped into the clearing, his Sharingan revealed and his body poised to fight. A squadron of ANBU landed in the clearing behind him, all just as tense as they readied themselves for an encounter.
"What happened?" Kakashi asked. His eyes were still scanning the clearing and she realized with a hot flash of humiliation he was searching for enemy shinobi.
"N-nothing," Sakura answered. She dropped her gaze to her gloves and pulled at the Velcro keeping them in place as she shifted uncomfortably. "It was...it was an accident."
"An accident?" Naruto sputtered. "You nearly took down the entire village!"
"I didn't mean…" she shook her head. She glanced between her teammates as their expressions reflected confusion and concern – and anger on Sasuke's part. But the words caught in her throat.
Months had passed since she had first witnessed the true power of the Sharingan. She had thought she was fine as its images and emotional manipulation faded, but as she glanced around the clearing, her own eyes observing the destruction she had created by her own fear, she realized just how un-fine she really was. She was still haunted.
"I…" she started again. The weight of every gaze grew heavier with each passing moment and it soon began to feel as if she couldn't breathe. She needed to escape. "I have to go."
Without bothering to retrieve her pack, Sakura fled the clearing without a backward glance. She hurried through the village with her head down but it didn't prevent passing conversation from reaching her ears. It seemed every person – shinobi and civilian alike – had felt her temporary loss of control and her chest tightened in guilt.
Without a word to anyone, Sakura hid herself within the deepest corners of the hospital's library as she avoided the rumors that were sure to be flying through the village by now. For hours, she poured over texts that she barely retained as she did her best to press what happened out of her memory; but the more she tried to put it out of her mind, the more it seemed to come to the forefront. She was sure her teammates were scouring the village, searching for where she might have vanished to, but she found herself unable to face them.
She had nearly killed Sasuke. She didn't even know how to begin to apologize for that. Not once had Sakura ever slipped with her abilities. For her entire shinobi career, she had always had perfect chakra control and the expertise to make it flow through her body on her command. The knowledge that her composure had broken in the blink of an eye made her begin to question her mastery entirely and the realization of what she could have done made her stomach twist into sharp knots until she felt ill.
"You look sad."
Blinking out of her dark musings, Sakura looked up to find a small boy staring at her. He couldn't have been any older than four and was donning a pair of black shorts and a yellow t-shirt with a cartoon she didn't recognize stitched onto the front. He was peering at her through dark messy hair that reminded her eerily of Sasuke when he due for a haircut as he watched her curiously.
Silently Sakura scanned the room as she searched for a parent or nurse, and when she found neither, her gaze returned to him. "What makes you say that?"
He shrugged innocently. "Your face. Did you lose someone?"
Her mind flashed to Sasuke and she shook her head. "No." It surprised her how much saying the words aloud calmed her anxieties.
However, the boy only frowned, causing his brows to knit together into a childish expression. "Then why are you sad?"
Sakura opened her mouth but found herself without an answer. There was nothing for her to even be upset about; she was just feeling sorry for herself and it was causing her bleak mood. "I'm not. I…What are you doing down here?" she asked, quickly changing the subject. "Are you lost?"
It seemed odd a four-year-old would wander into a medical library, but she knew he had to have other reasons for being there than the literature. He glanced at the wall of books next to the large armchair Sakura had curled up on before he shrugged with a slight hum. "I don't like my room."
As he approached her, she finally noticed the white medical bracelet and she frowned inwardly. He was a patient. He was far too young to be a patient. "You don't?" she asked friendly. "Why not?"
"The biters scare me."
Sakura's eyes narrowed in confusion. "The biters?"
He nodded as he frowned. "The doctors bring them in the morning to take stuff out of me and they bite my arm."
He pointed at the Band-Aid over the inside of his elbow and her expression relaxed as understanding dawned on her. "Why are they taking stuff out of you?" she asked.
"My mom says it's so they can figure out a way to help me get better. She wants the doctors to make my tummy stop hurting."
Setting her book aside, Sakura extended her hands towards him. "Maybe I can help," she offered.
However, he took a step back from her as a shadow cast over his expression. "Are you going to bite me?"
A smile crossed her face as she shook her head. "No. I promise it won't hurt."
He hesitated, but eventually stepped towards her and allowed her to pull him up so he could sit on the arm of her chair. Chakra flickered to life in her hand and he watched with wide eyes as she touched her hand to his shoulder. "It tickles," he giggled.
Sakura laughed with him. "It does that sometimes."
But then her smile faded as she found the source of his apparent stomach aches. It was cancer. It had spread from his large intestine to his stomach until she found nearly as many damaged cells as healthy ones. She was amazed that he was walking and out of bed at all; most patients would be bed-ridden, if not on their dying breath already. Even with chakra she knew there was little that could be done for him.
"You look sad again."
Sakura blinked as she slipped on a smile. "I was just thinking that I'm sad I didn't get to meet you sooner. I could have kept all those biters from getting to you."
His eyes widened as he stared at her incredulously. "You can make them stop?"
"Yes, I can," she nodded. Then she extended her hand to him. "By the way, I'm Sakura. What's your name?"
"I'm Ryota."
##
For the next hour, Sakura sat with Ryota as he talked about his family and his favorite ninja stories and almost everything that came to mind. He told her that he had a sister a year younger than him who wanted nothing more than to become a kunoichi, but his parents kept insisting that she become a clothes designer or a decorator – or rather a "pants maker" or "home fixer" as he called it.
Ryota, on the other hand, had been promised that he could enter the ninja academy, but first, he had to get better and couldn't have any more stomach aches. Sakura didn't let it show, but inwardly she ached for him and his parents. They must be aware he would never make it to graduation.
Nevertheless, Sakura continued to talk with him as he eagerly described how he wanted to learn to throw kunai with exact precision and she gave him some quick pointers with a paper-made shuriken until he began to yawn between sentences. Only then did she stand and offer him her hand. "We should head back. I think it's past our bedtime."
Ryota looked as if he wanted to argue, but another yawn cut him off and he accepted her hand before they left the library and took the elevator to the pediatric ward. As soon as they entered, a nurse and civilian woman greeted them, both with worried creases to their foreheads.
"Where have you been, Ryota?" the woman asked. Her voice held the sharp tone of a concerned mother.
The young boy tugged on Sakura's hand and held their grasped fingers towards her. "With my new friend."
The woman shifted her attention to Sakura and recognition flickered across her gaze before she sighed heavily and fixed her son with a stern stare. "What did I tell you about running off alone?"
"Not to do it," he said to the floor. Then he glanced up at Sakura again. "But I wasn't alone; I was with Sakura."
"Do not do that again, Ryota," she said, her voice full of authority. "I had no idea where you were! You scared me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."
Sakura met the nurse's gaze for a fraction of a second before she turned back to the mother as she held out her hand for her son. He hesitated a moment before he turned to Sakura. "Will you come visit me tomorrow and make sure the biters don't come?"
An automatic smile crossed her face. "Of course."
At her answer, he flashed her a brilliant smile before he finally released her hand in favor of taking his mother's before they both turned away and headed towards his hospital room. As soon as they were out of earshot, Sakura turned to the nurse. "Put him under my care."
The nurse frowned sadly. "There's nothing that you can do-."
"I know," she interrupted. She felt her chest tighten and she took a breath before continuing, "But there's no need for us to keep sticking him with needles. All we can do now is keep him comfortable and happy, and hope that a transplant becomes available in time."
The young woman didn't answer, but she nodded nonetheless before she quietly stepped away and resumed her duties at the nurses' station. Sakura stood in the center of the hallway a moment longer before she finally returned to the elevator. Automatically her fingers found the button for her floor, but as she rode the lift up, her mind began to wonder.
Her meeting of Ryota had reminded her eerily of Itachi. Both males were fighting an impossible disease, one that should have left them both fighting for their lives, but rather than give in to their illness, they were continuing on as if it had no effect on them at all. She supposed Itachi's situation was a bit different in that she could reverse the effects – if only for a little while – but she knew she needed to meet with him and thoroughly examine his condition soon before his disease mutated or became more aggressive.
However, what Sakura needed was a starting point and if her training with Tsunade had taught her anything, it was that she had to begin with the basics. It was common knowledge that all clans within Konoha had sealed records to protect their family secrets and bloodline limits, but if Sakura was to help Itachi, she knew she needed to look within his immediate family's extensive health history.
Which meant she needed to pay a visit to her teacher.
With a heavy sigh, Sakura pressed the button for the ground floor as the elevator doors opened again. She waited patiently as the lift carried her back down before she slipped out of the hospital and headed towards the Hokage Tower. She entered the prominent building just as the sun dipped below the high trees surrounding the village and she climbed the impressive staircase silently, her mood only lightening as she spotted Shikamaru, her childhood friend's teammate and one of the village's most distinguished tactical minds, on his way out. "Long day?" she asked.
He sighed tiredly but didn't stop his descent. "You certainly didn't help things this morning."
Sakura cringed. "That bad?"
"The Hokage is waiting for you," was his departing reply as he passed her and continued out of sight.
His words did not make her feel any better, but she grudgingly continued further up the tower until she reached the large, wooden doors of the Hokage's office. Outside a pair of masked ANBU stood like a pair of silent gargoyles, but neither stopped her as she knocked and waited for her master to allow her entry. It didn't take long before she heard her recognizable bark to enter and a familiar sight met Sakura when she stepped into the large office.
Tsunade was bent over her desk with one hand pressed to her forehead and a cup of sake in the other as she muttered to herself under her breath. Whatever it was that she was reading obviously was making the older woman irritated and it wasn't long before she rolled up the scroll and tossed it into a pile across the room. Sakura knew it to be her 'things-for-Shikamaru-to-review' pyramid.
With a deep sigh, Tsunade tossed back her sake before her gaze settled on Sakura. "I expected to see you hours ago."
"I got held up at the hospital," she answered as she watched the blonde woman refill her porcelain cup.
For a long moment, Tsunade studied her, but then her expression relaxed minutely before she raised her drink to her lips again. "You going to tell me what happened today?" she asked before she drank.
Not for the first time, Sakura felt disappointment fill her and she shifted her weight in discomfort. "It was an accident. I slipped up."
Tsunade stilled in refilling her cup as she looked up to meet Sakura's gaze. There was a subtle arch to her brow that told Sakura her master didn't believe her story, but she didn't press for an answer as she resumed topping herself off. "You nearly destroyed my village."
"But I didn't," Sakura countered respectfully. "And it won't happen again."
"It better not," Tsunade muttered before she returned to sorting through the paperwork in front of her. "Now what do you want? I know you didn't come here just to explain yourself."
Sakura bit back her smile. Her teacher knew her too well. "I need to view all medical files pertaining to Uchiha Itachi."
The Hokage stopped her shuffling to return her full attention to her student. Her hazel eyes narrowed as she studied her and Sakura quickly felt herself grow nervous under her heavy stare. Even Sakura knew it was a strange request for her to make without supplying additional information, but she didn't further explain herself as she waited silently.
"For what reason?"
Sakura hesitated as she worded her answer carefully. "I came across something interesting during my surgery with the Uchiha Heir that was not present in Shiranui, and I'm hoping that the information in his file might further explain it."
At least it wasn't a total lie.
She suspected Tsunade knew she wasn't being totally honest, but she had never once betrayed her teacher's trust and eventually the blonde woman waved her away. "You know where to find them." Sakura nodded, but before she could step away, the Hokage continued, "But I will warn you, Sakura, those files are confidential. Anything you find within them should be kept to yourself."
"Yes, Hokage-sama," she bowed.
The older woman resumed her work as Sakura turned away to approach the shelf in the corner of the room. There was a small pile of scrolls that were plain and utterly unremarkable with the exception of a small symbol carved into each one. They represented the symbol of the clans within Konoha and Sakura searched through them until she found the Uchiha insignia.
After replacing the others, she lowered herself onto the couch in front of the large shelves before she unfurled the simple red and green scroll. She made the necessary, complex set of seals before she sent a small burst of chakra into the thin paper, causing a puff of smoke to appear into the air. Once it cleared, she found a stack of files in front of her, all with Uchiha surnames. She searched through them until she found Itachi's.
Silently Sakura read through the Uchiha Heir's folder as she skimmed over his classified missions and focused primarily on his past injuries and conditions. She learned that nearly ten years ago, Itachi and his teammates had fallen ill to a disease within Grass Country. It had caused their kidneys to begin to shut down, but they had all been cured with no side effects, and other than a few minor and two major injuries in previous years, Sakura couldn't find anything linking his current disease to something he may have obtained while following out orders from Konoha.
However, it didn't escape her notice that many of Itachi's missions led him to Kusagakure. After reviewing each of his reports within the last twelve months, she found that he returned there nearly every month, sometimes even more frequently than that, and she chewed her lip absently as she wondered what it was that drew him there so often. His missions varied too much for it to be strictly orders.
With a prying eye, Sakura read through a handful of his mission reports, but just as she suspected, she didn't find anything useful. She supposed it was entirely possible that his disease could be environmentally caused if he was returning to the same area of Grass Country, but with how often Shisui accompanied his cousin on his missions, wouldn't he be suffering from the condition?
Setting Itachi's file aside, Sakura dug through the list of Uchiha names until she came across the one labeled for Shisui. She flipped in open and quickly scanned through his history only for her eyes to widen in utter shock. The man had a longer background than even Itachi.
Without consciously meaning to, Sakura leaned forward over his file as she read through his information, mentally taking note of his exceptional skills both with his infamous Flick Technique, as well as his most notable mastery with ninjutsu and kenjutsu. It made her wonder if he had taught Sasuke how to properly wield a katana. The more she read, the more impressed she became. Perhaps there was more to the man than the rumors of his flirtatious behaviors.
One distinctive element she noticed was Shisui's file remained void of any notes pertaining to him having any lasting medical issues. In fact, besides a dislocated shoulder and some broken bones, and nearly being killed after taking a hit for Itachi in an ambush a number of years ago, he had remained remarkably unscathed. That information left her back where she had started with her research.
Sakura still didn't understand what was causing the inner lining of Itachi's lungs to become so frail. It didn't appear to be hereditary or environmental so was it a mutation in his genome? She would have to examine Itachi closely to be certain, but she wasn't entirely sure how amiable he would be to her poking through his cells; not that he had a choice if he truly wanted her to treat him.
A soft snore drew Sakura out of her musings and she glanced at the Hokage's desk to see her teacher was cradling her head face-down against her forearm, her bottle of sake was still open beside her. Silently Sakura pushed herself to her feet and tiptoed over to the sleeping woman. After finding the stopper, she sealed the sake closed and quietly replaced the bottle in the bottom drawer the older woman kept specifically for her favorite drink.
Once it was put away, Sakura cleared her desk of documents that no longer needed her attention before she straightened her writing utensils and neatly stacked the pile of unassigned missions. After she was sure she had done everything she could to ease the Hokage's burden, she pulled the neatly folded blanket from the back of the couch she had been previously occupying and draped it over Tsunade's shoulders before she resumed her seat.
For a long while, Sakura sat staring at the Uchiha files without reading. She had learned more about the Uchiha Heir than she had thought she would ever come to know, but that information hardly put her at ease; for though she now knew Itachi was alone in his suffering of his unknown illness, the fact of the matter was, she still had no idea what was causing it.
to be continued...